Many host computers today store very sensitive data. Although the owner or manager of the data can usually control the dissemination of the data while on the host computer, the task becomes more difficult as the data is disseminated to those individuals who need to use the data in the field.
What often times happens is that a legitimate user (sometimes referred to as a “client”) of the data will request the data from the host computer. A “user” can be a human being or an application program, running on another computer, that needs to access and use the sensitive data. The host will transfer the data to the user's computer or other device to enable the user to utilize the data. Although the data may be secured and perhaps encrypted on the host and also encrypted during transmission from the host to the user's device, once the data is on the user's device, the data is susceptible to being lost, stolen or otherwise misappropriated. For example, a user may download the data to a file or directory which has no security or encryption attached to it. When the user's device is connected to the Internet, for example, others may view, copy or otherwise misappropriate such data.
Accordingly, what is needed is a system and method for ensuring that a user or client receiving sensitive data has all of the necessary encryption and/or security features desired by the data manager or data owner for protecting the integrity of such secure data once it is on the client computer or device.